Lice can infest different regions of the horse's body. The horse's ears are often affected when it comes to animal lice or ticks, mites infest the ears rather rarely. Pet lice on horses are small, flat, wingless insects that only grow to about two to four millimetres in size. Because they are so tiny, it is often difficult to notice lice in a horse's thick coat, especially in the winter months.

 

In addition to the ears, lice often infest the mane, tail and fetlocks. There are two basic types of lice. One type feeds by sucking, the other by biting. They feed on dead skin cells or body fluids extracted from the skin. The legs of the lice have hooks with which they can easily cling to feathers and fur. The two types of lice that infest horses are Haematopinus asini (the sucking louse) and Damalinia equi (the biting louse).

Typical symptoms of louse infestation in horses are loss of coat, dull appearance of coat, mane and tail hair, skin irritation and itching. The horse often rubs the infested area on posts and fences or bites itself to relieve the itching. In severe cases of louse infestation, the horse may suffer from anaemia. Careful combing of the coat and hair will reveal the tiny animals. The biting lice are easier to find because they seem to move around more. The sucking lice are often seen with their mouths buried in the skin.

Treatment of lice in horses
Lice infestation can be treated by topical application of lice remedy from the pharmacy or from the vet. Lice only live for a short time, so treatment is usually over after two weeks at the latest, provided the louse remedy is applied regularly. In addition, it helps to shorten the horse's tail and mane so that the lice have less space to hide.

Causes of louse infestation in horses
The dense coat of a horse provides optimal habitat for lice. Horses that live together in large herds or have weakened health are often infested. When keeping several horses together, the lice-infested horse should be temporarily separated from the herd, because the lice hop from horse to horse and the infestation spreads.